Loading

AALBC.com eNewsletter - June 5th 2006

Celebrating Our Literary Legacy! 

Read our eNewsletter Archives, Subscribe to This Newsletter

 
Advertise With AALBC.com
Advertise Your book in Harlem World Magazine's Harlem Book Fair 2006 Commemorative Edition
http://aalbc.com/harlem_world_magazine_ads.htm

Harlem World Magazine will publish the official program guide for the Harlem Book Fair (to be held in Harlem, NY on Saturday, July 22nd 2006).  The Harlem Book Fair 2006 commemorative issue is a first of it's kind, and is sure to become a collectors item. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to showcase your book during one of the largest gatherings of book buyers in the country.

As an added bonus, all advertisers in this commemorative issue will have their book(s) added to the AALBC.com homepage rotation from the moment they purchase their advertisement until Sunday July 23rd 2006.  The deadline for inclusion in this special issue is June17th, 2006.

Think Themes
http://aalbc.com/adbanner.htm

When placing an ad on AALBC.com, "Think Themes".  Most advertisers want their book or banner ad to appear on the AALBC.com homepage; but your ad may be even more effective when placed on an AALBC.com page that is more closely related to your book, than the more general homepage.

Lets say that you know your book will appeal to lovers of "Urban Lit"; consider adding your book to the Vickie Stringer, Nikki Turner and Donald Goines pages.  Perhaps you've written a work of inspiration; consider Maya Angelou's or Iyanla Vanzant's pages; or how about a non-fiction work on education, try Jawanza Kunjufu's page.

AALBC.com has hundreds of frequently visited authors pages that rank very high on Google searches.  Use your imagination and customize an ad campaign to suit your book's specific needs. 

As always you can track the results by logging onto our web site to monitor your ad's views, click throughs and more.

 
AUTHORS YOU SHOULD KNOW
http://authors.aalbc.com/author1.htm

 
Nikki TurnerNikki Turner
http://authors.aalbc.com/nikki_turner.htm

Nikki Turner, an Essence best-selling author, and the reigning princess of hip-hop fiction.  Turner was working full time, while raising two children as a single parent, when she published A Hustler's Wife. Turner's A Hustler's Wife was a top 10 best selling book on AALBC.com in 2004 and 2005.

Bishop T. D. Jakes
http://authors.aalbc.com/t_d.htm

Bishop T.D. Jakes is the author of the bestsellers, God's Leading Lady; The Lady, Her Lover, and Her Lord; and Maximize the Moment, which was a New York Times business bestseller. He is also the author of the phenomenally successful Woman, Thou Art Loosed! which is the basis for a novel, a bestselling video and CD, a critically acclaimed stage production and an award-winning major motion picture.

Kathy J. Marsh
http://authors.aalbc.com/kathy.htm

Marsh is the author of the novel The Aura of Love.  Lauretta Ali of Armchairinterviews.com describes: "A gifted writer, Marsh, has told a story that will leave her readers wanting more. Will these coven-crossed lovers survive? Enter the world of The Aura of Love and find out. You won't be disappointed."

Douglas E. Mcintosh
http://authors.aalbc.com/douglas_e_mcintosh.htm

Douglas E. McIntosh is a writer, born in 1960, in New York City. He holds an MBA in Finance, and a BA in History. He has worked as a Banker, Financial Analyst, and Financial Consultant.   In the late 1990s, Douglas began to write, simply for enjoyment, and relaxation. Yet it gave him even greater joy to find that others, as well, enjoyed reading his literary creations and it is that, along with his love of weaving, and telling interesting and poignant stories, that has continued to motivate him.  Enjoy a sample of Mcintosh's writing by reading his short story; To Journey Home (http://authors.aalbc.com/to_journey_home.htm)

John Hope Franklin
http://authors.aalbc.com/john_hope_franklin.htm

Franklin lived through America's most defining twentieth-century transformation, the dismantling of legally-protected racial segregation. A renowned scholar, he has explored that transformation in its myriad aspects, notably in his 3.5 million-copy bestseller, From Slavery to Freedom.  Born in 1915, he, like every other African American, could not but participate: he was evicted from whites-only train cars, confined to segregated schools, threatened-once with lynching-and consistently met with racism's denigration of his humanity. And yet he managed to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard, become the first black historian to assume a full-professorship at a white institution, and garner over 130 honorary degrees.

 
RECENT AALBC.COM BOOK REVIEWS, ARTICLES & VIDEOS
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/book_reviews.htm
The BEA Story 2006: Behind the Scenes at the African American Pavilion � by Heather Covington
http://www.aalbc.com/events/the_bea_story_2006.htm

Now in its third year, the African American Pavilion at BEA is the largest national marketplace for thousands of African American publishing industry professionals. According to Wade Hudson, President of Just Us Books, "The African American Pavilion is a growing presence at BEA". "There will be great opportunities to learn, share, educate, sell and network; and it's making black book history a vital, visible part of the 105-year history of BookExpo America/American Booksellers Association."

From Ike to Mao and beyond: My Journey from Mainstream America to Revolutionary Communist � Reviewed by Herb Boyd
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/fromiketomao.htm

Naturally, as a Black reader, I was drawn to a couple of middle chapters of the book where Avakian delivers his take on the Black Panther Party. This is not done, however, until after he recalls Malcolm X and how this great leader influenced his political and revolutionary development. �I loved to listen to Malcolm X speeches,� Avakian writes. �At one point, I got a recording of �The Ballot or the Bullet,� and I listened to that over and over. Later, when I started making speeches myself, I drew a lot from Malcolm X, especially the way in which he exposed profound injustices and contradictions of the system so sharply.�

Split Indecision Book By Pierre Bateau � Reviewed by Jayne Cubbage
http://aalbc.com/reviews/split_indecision.htm

Packed with so many twists and turns, this book takes on the feel of a high-speed chase down the freeway at 120 mph. The plot has it all murder, multiple personalities, sensuality, a family fortune and medical science and it�s coming at you so fast that there�s barely enough time to digest all of the facts. 

Every Woman�s Man by Rique Johnson � Reviewed by Thumper
http://aalbc.com/reviews/every_womans_man.htm

Yeah, it�s unusual for me to read a book with a title like, Every Woman�s Man, a novel by Rique Johnson. I don�t normally go for the sister girl relationship books. Actually, I can�t stand them. But, I found myself in an unlikely, highly unusual position of needing something to read. Unfortunately for me, Every Woman�s Man caught my eye. The novel didn�t appear that it would take me long to read it, so I started it. The novel which centers on one man�s fear of committing to a relationship and the women, who love him, began as a quick, interesting read. The quick and interesting read soon dissolved into a long agonizing bore.

The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley � Reviewed by Kam Williams
http://reviews.aalbc.com/the_great_deluge.htm

Brinkley, a professor of history at Tulane University in New Orleans, recounts the blow-by-blow... in this 700+ page tome reveals that there were many villains responsible for the mind-boggling mismanagement and utter neglect, but this shocking text indicts Nagin, Brown and Bush as among the most culpable.  First, Nagin committed the unpardonable sin of implementing an evacuation plan which only addressed the needs of the rich and big business, ignoring folks without the wherewithal to save themselves. Then, as the crisis worsened, the Mayor simply hid, coming apart at the seams, doing absolutely nothing.

Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor Edited by Paul Beatty � Reviewed by Robert Fleming
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/hokum1.htm

Beatty was quoted in an newspaper interview, saying not many contemporary people are funny anymore, but he found enough of them to bring a smile to any reader�s face. A good cast is worth repeating (at least a part of it): Wanda Coleman, Franklin Ajaye, Rev. Al Sharpton, Percival Everett, Bob Kaufman, Henry Dumas, Amiri Baraka, Mike Tyson, Patricia Smith, Bert Williams, Toni Cade Bambara, Ish Reed, Spike Lee, Elizabeth Alexander, Ralph Ellison, Fran Ross, Suzan Lori-Parks, and Steve Cannon, among others. I found myself chuckling and drawing stares from the annoyed and polite. Tough.

With Billie by Julia Blackburn  � Book Reviewed by Robert Fleming
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/with_billie.htm

Sometimes an author gets a good idea but it takes time, endurance, and determination to complete it. Blackburn, an acclaimed journalist and novelist, took the raw material of a project by biographer Linda Kuehl, a helter-skelter collection of 150 interviews of people who knew jazz icon Billie Holiday from her early days in Baltimore as hardscrabble Eleanor Fagan to the emotionally scarred yet immensely gifted singer Lady Day in New York City. Tenor saxophonist Lester Young gave her that nickname. In the early 1970s, Kuehl assembled this research painstakingly from neighbors, friends, lovers, musicians, producers, critics, and even a black narcotics agent who had a crush on the brown-skinned woman with the white gardenia in her hair but put her behind bars.

Phat Girlz � Movie Review by Kam Williams
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/phat_girlz.htm

Jazmin Biltmore (Mo�Nique) is at war with the world. This plus-sized sister�s problems start with the fact that she works at a posh, L.A. clothing boutique frequented by thin women, and as Jazmin puts it, �I hate skinny bitches!� and it doesn�t help that she �ain�t been laid in nine months� of her customers are accompanied by black men. 

�If I see another brother with a white girl, I swear I�m gonna shoot somebody,� she informs her equally-plump, best friend, Stacey (Kendra Johnson), just before another such couple shows up and an ugly scenes ensues.

Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea�s Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life by Tyler Perry - Reviewed by Kam Williams
http://reviews.aalbc.com/dont_make_a_black_woman.htm

...already sitting in the #1 spot on the New York Times best selling list.

However, this text is not intended to be taken at face value, for its content is more of a humorous than serious nature. For these frequently politically-incorrect words of wisdom come courtesy not of Perry but through the mouth of his famous fictional character. And Madea is not one to think before she speaks.

We learn that Madea has some skeletons in her closet and that she was a single-mom and worked as a stripper to support her daughter. She also shares that she was opposed to Rosa Parks call for a bus boycott to end segregated seating because, �I was too big to be walking all that around.�

Letters to a Young Brother: Manifest Your Destiny by Hill Harper - Reviewed by Kam Williams
http://aalbc.com/reviews/letters_young_brother.htm

Young men today have been bombarded with images of wealth and success that tell them that buying the hottest car or the most bling-blingin� jewelry is what they should be motivated by. There is an overwhelming sales pitch targeted at these young men that subliminally suggests that material goods are what makes them real men. I want young men to have knowledge of the things that bring them true empowerment: education, a strong sense of purpose, compassion, confidence, and humility, to name a few. �Excerpted from the Introduction

Stripped Bare: The 12 Truths That Will Help You Land the Very Best Black Man by LaDawn Black - Reviewed by Kam Williams
http://aalbc.com/reviews/stripped_bare.htm

 �Play close attention, ladies: there are many great black men out there. Do not buy into the lies that all the good men are already married or gay. These are lies sold to our community so that we don�t forge strong family or personal relationships, which have statistically proven to contribute to long, secure, and prosperous lives. Further, it is my belief that sisters clothe themselves with these lies so that we can justify our inability to select quality men or end bad relationships.� �Excerpted from Chapter 1

Mixed: My Life in Black and White by Angela Nissel - Reviewed by Kam Williams
http://aalbc.com/reviews/mixed.htm

Initially, called everything from zebra to mulatto to Oreo red-boned to stuck-up yellow b*tch, Angela describes how she over-compensated by trying to become a super black sister. Then, everything changed in high school with the advent of gangsta rap on MTV and BET, since, as she describes it, �The majority of the women in the videos had my complexion� I became even more secure in my light skin when I discovered the mania was deeper than life imitating hip-hop.�

Ving Rhames: The Mission: Impossible III Interview - by Kam Williams
http://aalbc.com/reviews/ving_rhames.htm

How does it feel to have appeared in all three installments of Mission Impossible?

"The beauty of this one, for me, in coming back, is the script, J.J. Abrams and the other writers, the new cast members and the energy and authenticity that they bring to the piece, and the fact that we all had an extremely good chemistry with one another. So, it was a chance to have some fun and make a good deal of money."

African-American Lives - DNA Helps Celebs Discover Roots in PBS DVD
http://aalbc.com/reviews/african-american_lives.htm

Narrated by Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this four-part PBS series follows the extraordinary efforts of nine notables to find their roots, including Oprah Winfrey, televangelist Bishop T.D. Jakes, comedian Chris Tucker, neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, Quincy Jones, astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison, Dr. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot and Whoopi Goldberg.

Courtesy of DNA evidence, Gates is certainly surprised to learn that more of his ancestors came from Ireland and France than from Africa. By contrast, Bishop Jakes� is enabled to pinpoint his forefathers� point of departure from Africa. Upon his travel return, he is greeted by a long-lost relative with, �Welcome home!�

Remembering Glenn Thompson - W. Paul Coates with the assistance of Kamili Anderson 9/19/2001
http://reviews.aalbc.com/remembering_glenn_thompson.htm

Glenn Thompson was an exemplary Black publisher.  He viewed books as weapons of liberation and saw his task as that of a soldier, arming the people to free themselves.  He chose to publish great books about people of African descent that helped to define the reality of the Black experience.  He also chose to publish outstanding books that redefined the White experience from the perspectives of those who were oppressed and dispossessed by it--and he did so in subtle, subversive, but often comical ways.

Black. White. Reality-TV series - Reviewed by Kam Williams
http://aalbc.com/reviews/black_white.htm

Rose, meanwhile, who looks better black than white by the way, ventures into South Central, where she takes a course in poetry slam. Though she�s the only one of the six whose make-up leaves her looking human, she is apparently the most conflicted about behaving differently in order to trick strangers. So, she talks and walks and speaks exactly the way she did before she became a sister.

 

EVENTS
http://events.aalbc.com

National Book Club Conference - August 4 to 6, 2006 - Atlanta, GA, http://www.nationalbookclubconference.com

National Book Club Conference is the world's largest book club meeting, and all the charm, learning, fun and fellowship that come with conventional meetings are the hallmarks of the '06 occasion. What distinguishes the NBCC from any other literary event is the access to authors.

At the '05 NBCC, Terry McMillan not only received the Walter Mosley Author of Distinction Award, but she attended the "book club meetings" of Trisha R. Thomas and Bebe Moore Campbell, among others. She also was a panelist on the Past, Present and Future of Black Literature discussion.

Queens Book Festival 2006 - August 19, 2006 - Jamaica, New York, http://events.aalbc.com/queensbookfair2006.htm

AuthorStreet.com named as media sponsor for 2nd Annual Queens Book Fair. The 2nd Annual Queens Book Fair is scheduled to be held at 11-acre historic park in Jamaica, Queens which houses the King Manor. The 18th- and 19th-century house located on the premises of Rufus King Park takes its name from Rufus King, a signer of the United States Constitution.  The Rufus King Park is located 153rd Street & Jamaica Ave., Queens, New York. The 2006 Queens Book Fair will be held on August 19, 2006 and will begin at 11:00 am and end at 7:00 pm.

Last year the Queens Book Fair was held on April 30, 2005 and was featured in Newsday, May 3, 2005, article "This book fair�s for the self-published" New York City Edition Neighborhoods section pg. A52.  Self-published authors from around the country flocked the 2005 Queens Book Fair, along with book lovers around the tri-state area. Queens Borough President Helen Marshall proclaimed the month of April as Book Month in Queens

 
INTERESTING DISCUSSION BOARD POSTS
http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus

What makes Halle Berry prettier than other Bi-racial actresses?
http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messages/179/11615.html?1149543147

I think there's a much stronger demand for more "Eurocentric" looking black women in Hollywood. Meaning, the lighter-skinned, weaved-up, fried and died, sistas get more play.   I think Hollywood and any Eurocentric society period cannot appreciate a beautiful, dark-skinned black woman. As bruthas, we should be the opposition to this society that tries it's damnest to damage they psyche of our darker-skinned sistas...  ..and sistas... please STOP with the GADDAMN WEAVES!!!
 

What Celebrity do you think is Overrated? http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messages/179/11598.html?1149476169

Paris Hilton has a very punchable face. She is one of the many overrated beauties that poisons my television everytime that hook-nosed winch appears. That ugly square man-jaw is makes me want to stab it with a pointy stiletto boot.   Brad and Angelina: You'd think she was going to give birth to God instead of a regular human newborn baby. The media kills me with how these two white people are going to bring such a "gorgeous" baby into this world. Like, huh? they never realized that good looking ppl give birth to mediocre-to-ugly looking kids all the time?
 

Slave Gear?
http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messages/179/11545.html?1149209230

While recently riding a CTA bus in Downtown Chicago (which I enjoy about as much as I do sipping a glass full of the Ebola virus), I witnessed a grown a$$ Black man walking around with the backside of his pants dayamnear touching the ground. The only reason why you could not see his (probably crusty) a$$ was he was wearing a jacket that was long enuff to cover it.  But that wasn�t the best part. This FOOL had a baby�s PACIFIER in his mouth! And it was like he was PROUD of other folks seeing him chew that sucker.
 

Their Eyes Were Reading Smut: The Impact of Ghetto Fiction on African American Literature
http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messages/1/11601.html?1149275876

Now, I can understand that the thug books are selling and is the major draw for booksellers. As I said before, the sista-girlfriend books held this position a mere few years ago. But, just because a certain type of book is selling don't make the damn thing literature...  �Thumper

 
AALBC.com Recommends
Indigocafe.com
http://www.indigocafe.com

"Indigocafe.com (also known as Indigo Caf� & Books) is a progressive, independent, online community bookstore.

We sell our books to customers from all over the US and thoughout the world. Our customers and visitors are an online community of thoughtful people who share a love for books and a dedication to progressive values.

We sell retail books, discounted books, and unusual titles from independent presses and individual authors. We are very selective about the books that we carry. All the titles that we offer are lovingly chosen. So go ahead and take a chance and buy a title from an author that is not familiar to you. We've done the homework!"

Editor's Note: Indigocafe.com also has an affiliate program, so if you are selling books on-line check out Indigo Cafe!

Ebonyfly.com
http://ebonyfly.com/

ebonyfly.com is an online community of avid readers of African-American literature. Our members come to our site to discuss novels and various other topics, meet new people, and exchange ideas. Our goal is to expose our readers to new and exciting authors through our weekly sales and the ebonyfly.com bookstore.

Editor's Note: Be sure to check out Ebonyfly.com's weekly $5 book sale

SistahsSupportingBlackAuthors Book Club
http://www.ssbabookclub.org

The ladies of SSBA Book Club are located in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. We are a dynamic, and diverse group of black women whose ages range from 33 to 43 years. We share a common interest in reading and discussing novels that are about black people and written by black authors. SSBA Book Club also enjoys a powerful networking ring that works well within our intimate, but progressive group. Well-established and grounded, we have been meeting on a monthly basis since 1996. 

 
, SUPPORT THE AALBC.com eNEWSLETTER

AALBC.com's eNewsletter can use your financial support.  AALBC.com eNewsletter has been published continuously for almost eight years.  In that time we've informed you about important events, turned you on to interesting web sites and introduced you to thousands of books and hundreds of authors.

If you believe there is value in this newsletter, and you want to see it continue, please support us by volunteering to pay a $12 annual subscription fee.  If you are unable to pay for a subscription; we understand, and you'll continue to receive your eNewsletter uninterrupted.

However, if you are able to pay, your subscription dollars will go directly toward improving the quality of this newsletter.

Click the "Subscribe" icon above to pay for your subscription.  If you receive the text only version of our eNewsletter simply visit: http://aalbc.com/news_feb2005.htm#SUPPORT click the "Subscribe" button to purchase your subscription.

  

AALBC.com. LLC Founder Troy JohnsonPeace, 
Troy Johnson, 

Founder AALBC.com

55 West 116th Street #195
Harlem, NY 10026

(866) 603-8394 - FAX & Voicemail
(212) 289-6356 - Office

 

How Are We Doing?
Fill out our simple feedback form
http://aalbc.com/feedback_aalbc.htm and let us know what we are doing well or where we need to improve. 

AALBC.com mailing list is not made available to outside parties.  All recipients of this newsletter must subscribe to receive it directly from AALBC.com.  To learn more about AALBC.com visit: http://www.aalbc.com/aboutus.htm

 

If you have trouble reading the email version of the newsletter you may always read the most recent version at http://aalbc.com/current.htm you may also read any previous newsletter at http://aalbc.com/enewslet.htm